The highly anticipated “Five Nights at Freddy’s” film hit the big screen on Oct. 27, delivering a fun and entertaining film for fans of the original game. While the film was very enjoyable to watch, it could have done a lot more with its runtime.

The film centers around Mike Schmidt, a man who takes a job working security for closed down and abandoned restaurant Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza in hopes of improving his chances of keeping custody of his little sister, Abby. He quickly realizes, though, that there is something very wrong with the 1980s style pizzeria when the animatronics begin to come to life.

The film starts off strong, with the opening scene setting a violent and eerie tone as the audience watches the animatronics brutally stalk and murder the previous “Freddy’s” security guard. It seemed as if the film was really going to push the limits of its PG-13 rating.

However, this was not the case. For most of the film, the animatronics were quite friendly. In fact, the opening scene was the only violence we see from them until the near-end of the film. For a game known for capitalizing on jumpscares and fear of the unknown, the film adaptation definitely was lacking in the horror department.

Despite the subpar fear-factor, the filmmakers pulled off the execution of the animatronics quite well. Director Emma Tammi opted for the use of practical effects in lieu of computer graphic imagery to create the animatronics — a move that paid off. The animatronics look larger-than-life, making them feel like they jumped right out of the video game onto the big screen.

Another essential part of bringing the video game to the movies is adapting the lore, which, when it comes to the FNAF fandom, is quite extensive. While it is clear that this film was made for both fans and non-fans of the video game, the film could have made the lore more complex.

The intricate lore of the video game was dumbed down and simplified seemingly to accommodate those not familiar with the game, but this was not necessary. They had plenty of time in the film to go deeper into the background behind the pizzeria and its psychotic owner, William Afton, but the film wasted most of its time adding unnecessary
lore to the main characters that didn’t fit with the games, a decision that was clearly a
mistake.

Most of the lore was explained with dialogue, which has proven time and time again to be ineffective. Adding flashbacks or perspective-shifts to explain the backstory would have made the viewing experience immeasurably more interesting and memorable.
Instead, the other wise intriguing backstory became dull, and the simplification of the lore left the antagonist without much motive.

In spite of all of this, the film did manage to pull off ome major plot twists, even for fans of the game. The reveal of the villain and their connection with some of the newer characters in the film caught me completely off guard and was genuinely a shock. There are also some surprising YouTuber cameos sprinkled in the film which, for those who recognize them, is a nice touch.

Although the film suffered from story-related problems, it was certainly an amusing watch. It’s a fun and exciting adaptation that was perfect for a late-night Halloween  watch. This film definitely set the foundation for other films to follow, and with much of the lore unexplored, it could lead to the beginning of a brilliant horror film franchise.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is available to watch in theaters and streaming on Peacock now.